Bringing a new life into the world can be scary enough without having to worry about the small things like what do I feed a newborn baby ? When do I sleep ? How do I change a nappy?

Of course, women will receive guidance during pregnancy but what about when they get home?

Baby in hand, you open the front door, "congratulations on your baby" balloons fill your living room, alongside a new cot, piles of new nappies as high as the windows and panic strikes - what do I do next?

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Advice for parents

The west London based Mummy Buddy Programme aims to support soon-to-be mums by pairing them up with new mums, a mummy buddy, to chat through all of their worries.

It may be a question as simple as 'how do I feed my baby?' or 'when should I put my baby to sleep?', both questions which a new mum will have experience in answering.

Janey set up the programme after having her son Joe (Image: Lois Swinnerton)

The programme was set up by Northfields based mum Janey Carey who felt lost when she first brought her son Joe home.

Speaking to getwestlondon , she said: "I soon realised I'd never actually spent any time with a brand new baby, so I came home with my husband with this gorgeous baby and we have no idea what we're doing.

"Every mum that I talk to nowadays says it's so tough at the beginning and people acknowledge that, but no one's really doing anything apart from doing the same courses and reading the same books."

Farnaz and Robynne have become friends as a result of the experience (Image: Lois Swinnerton)

And so the idea was born and Janey contacted a number of pregnant women over social media to ask if they would be interested in spending time with a new mum.

She continued: "I got an amazing response, and I started matching them up based on their location, which hospital they were going to have their baby in and sex of the baby."

In the first month, Janey matched 50 women together, and just three months later she had around 300 women registered to the free service.

"The feedback's been fantastic" Janey added, "The mums who I've contacted have said it's been a lifeline."

The programme aims to prepare pregnant mums for life as a mum (Image: Lois Swinnerton)

Janey currently operates across west London, matching mums from nine west London boroughs including areas such as Twickenham , Northfields and Queen's Park .

Those living further afield can also receive support from a digital buddy.

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Robynne explained the benefits she experienced from having a mummy buddy, rather than just receiving advice from her doctor.

She said: "It's much more personal, personal to you as well and just chatting about what life is going to be like, how you're currently feeling.

"With a doctor you get your half-hour consultation or something like that, we've actually got a mummy buddy and we've ended up being good friends as well, that you can just unload on, ask questions you might find a bit silly sometimes."

Robynne and Farnaz would meet in the park to chat (Image: Lois Swinnerton)

The initiative also aims to tackle isolation, with 90% of new mums saying they felt lonely after having a baby, according to a survey of 2,025 mothers carried out by parenting site Channel Mum.

Farnaz explained: "To have somebody local who has been through it very recently is really valuable.

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"Especially in London where people don't necessarily have their families nearby, a lot of people live here for work, not necessarily because it's where they grew up, it's just another way of building that support network."

Farnaz became a mummy buddy after welcoming Luke into the world (Image: Lois Swinnerton)

The programme is run as a social enterprise and so any money generated from it goes straight back into the initative.

Janey now has area ambassadors spreading the word up and down the country and in Northern Ireland, with visions to help mums across the UK.